The kids aren't all right
by xX Dimka's girl 4 ever Xx
Summary: 20 years after Last Sacrifice Anya Belikova and Rhea Dragomir stumble across the books that tell the story about how their parents met, they along with the other next gen kids read the books. Title comes from The Offspring's song- not a songfic.
1. Prologue

Prologue 03/06/2013

**The Kids aren't all right**

Summary- 20 years after Last Sacrifice Anya Belikova and Rhea Dragomir stumble across the books that tell the story about how their parents met, they along with the other next gen kids read the books. Title comes from The Offspring's song- not a songfic.

**The Next Gen Kids**

Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov

Ivan Mason Belikov (17) Element- Air

Anya Vasya Belikova (16) Element- Fire

Christina Viktoria Belikov (12)

Vasilisa Dragomir and Christian Ozera

Andre Dragomir-Ozera (17) Element-Spirit

Rhea Dragomir-Ozera (16) Element- Water

Eric Dragomir-Ozera (13) Element- Fire

Rosalie Dragomir-Ozera (2)

Jill Dragomir and Eddie Castile

Mason Dragomir Castile (16)

Lucy Dragomir Castile (15)

Mia Rinaldi (some Moroi who died)

Connor Rinaldi (17) Element- Air

Cassie Rinaldi (17) Element- Water

Adrian Ivashkov and Sydney Sage (didn't get married Sydney left and went back to the alchemists her dhampir child raised by Adrian)

Sydney Rose Ivashkov (16)

Jesse Zeklos and Camille Conta

Damien Zeklos (16) Element- Air

Carly Zeklos (15) Element- Air

**Prologue**

Who ever thought High School was easy was totally screwed up in the head. Maybe the studies are easy but the drama is so not.

I'm Anya Vasya Belikova by the way. My parents are none other than the famous royal guardians Rosemarie Belikova nee Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov, the head guardians of the queen and king.

"I can't take rhea's dramas anymore." Came a voice from my bedroom door. There leaning against the doorframe was Andre Dragomir-Ozera, my best friend Rhea's older brother.

"What did she do now?" I asked him raising and eyebrow. Out of all my siblings, I was the only one to inherit my dad's eyebrow raising skill, making my mom and siblings really jealous of me.

"She threw a tantrum because she apparently got a smaller room than me." Said Andre.

"You know Rhea can be a bit of a snob, aren't you used to it by now?" I asked Andre.  
"A bit of a snob, that's an understatement. And I kind of am but you know I wanted that room because it was closer to yours and I don't like being that far from you." Said Andre as he leaned towards me for a kiss. I had been secretly seeing Andre for almost 6 months.

"Now you're just going to have to find another way." I said before melting into his kiss.

I had the most awesome boyfriend ever. He was tall, 6ft 4, he had pale blonde hair and icy blue eyes. He was also decently built, unlike most Moroi because he had learnt how to protect himself against Strigoi, at least the basics.

"Why do we have to sneak around, we're away from the basic public, it's just our families and our friends her. Anya I don't wanna sneak around anymore, I love you and I wanna tell the world that I do." Said Andre. This had been a point of disagreement between us for almost a month. I didn't want people to know because of how awkward things would become between our families.

"Andre you know our moms right, the minute they find out that something is going on between us they'll start planning our wedding and stuff and what if we don't work and what about the fact that Prince Dragomir is dating a lowly dhampir, daughter of his parent's guardians." I tried to reason with him.

"I don't care Anya, the only reason I'm a prince is because Aunt Jill refused the title and there is a shortage of Dragomirs-" but I cut him off.

"Exactly, there is a shortage of Dragomirs and instead of being with me the lowly Dhampir, they expect you to be with someone like Carly Zeklos or even Cassie." I finished for him.

"Anya Vasya Belikova, don't you ever say that you are just a lowly Dhampir, you are so much more than that, and I'm not even talking about power wise, I'm talking about how beautiful you are, like a Turkish princess. As for being with Carly, I would rather do my own laundry than being with her, and you know that I absolutely hate doing my laundry." He replied making me chuckle a bit. He also wiped away tears from my eyes that I hadn't even noticed. "And as for Cassie, that is just disgusting, I mean Cassie is beautiful but she is like Rhea, Rosalie or Lucy for me." He continued.

"Annie, you're it for me. No one can even compare to you but if you really want it to be a secret then fine, I won't ask you again and now, where were we before this argument came up." Said Andre wriggling his eyebrows and pulling me onto his lap.

I giggled before kissing him again; we were about to take things a little further when

"Anya, Andre, Rhea, Ivan, come downstairs right now." Screamed Uncle Christian.

"Damn it, you go, I'll join you in 5." Andre told me before muttering something that sounded like "Cockblocking Dad."

"Come on, it's your dad, he may be a cockblock but you still need to listen to him." I playfully scolded Andre.

"I can't Anya." He said like it was the simplest thing in the world when I gave him a puzzled look he pulled me down to his lap and essentially explained why he couldn't go. I giggled again and went downstairs after fixing my hair a bit.

When aunt Lissa became queen she decided to shift her court to California but now we were all here for our summer vacation. So we were all at the old palace settling in to our rooms.

"Anya bitch come with me, you will not believe what I found in my room!" Said a very excited Rhea before practically dragging me along with. Rhea was about 5"11 compared to my 5"6 and had straight jet-black hair and jade green eyes. She was bubbly and as Andre said, a snob. She wasn't a snobbish royal who hated dhampirs; she was just a snob who hated everyone. She was also fiercely protective of her best friends and siblings, behind their backs. Rhea and Andre, both hated each other up front, never had a civil conversation but when either of them needs the other, come hell or high water they'd help.

"Annie, check this out." She told me and pointed to a bookshelf, on it were 6 books called Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice.

"Yes, Rhea, what can I do about the books, I'm sure you do not expect me to read them." I told giving her my "are you out of you mind" look.

"Anya, these aren't just books these are books about how our parents met and about how my mom became the queen, we have to read them." Said Rhea.

"Fine then, who all should we invite, I mean our siblings are already her, so are your cousins. Sydney, I think should be here, maybe we'll find out more about her mom and I think that the Rinaldi twins should be here too." I told her.

"Yeah I'll just call Damien and Carly." Said Rhea.

"Do you have to?" I asked her

"Yes Anya, I do, He's my boyfriend and the least you can do is pretend to stand him." Said Rhea.

I couldn't stand the obnoxious Asshole, and neither could Andre but there was nothing that either of us could do to dissuade Rhea for dating him. His little sister Carly was not so bad, she was nice and the complete opposite of her brother. She was best of friends with Lucy Dragomir Castile.

"He told us to start reading and he'll join us as soon as he can." Said Rhea.

So we called everyone to the rec lounge on the first floor and gathered around the various couches and beanbags. The only person missing from here was Andre, he had gone out to smoke a bit. Spirit had its consequences and they were taking a toll on Andre.

"So lets begin." He said as he entered the room and pulled up a bean right next to mine.

Rhea began reading, **"Chapter One**


	2. Chapter 1

**I FELT HER FEAR BEFORE I heard her screams.**

"Who wants to bet that this is aunt rose?" Said Eric  
"It's been on line Eric, shut up and make your bets later" Said Andre.

**Her nightmare pulsed into me, shaking me out of my own dream, which had had something to do with a beach and some hot guy rubbing suntan oil on me.**

"Maybe I'll visit your dream and rub suntan oil on you." Andre Whispered to me making me blush slightly.

**Images—hers, not mine— tumbled through my mind: fire and blood, the smell of smoke, the twisted metal of a car. The pictures wrapped around me, suffocating me, until some rational part of my brain reminded me that this wasn't ****_my _****dream.**

"How can she see it if it wasn't her dream?" Asked Christina

"Christie, I'm sure we'll find out." I assured her.

**I woke up, strands of long, dark hair sticking to my forehead.**

**Lissa lay in her bed, thrashing and screaming. I bolted out of mine; quickly crossing the few feet that separated us.**

**"Liss," I said, shaking her. "Liss, wake up." Her screams dropped off, replaced by soft whimpers. "Andre," she moaned." Oh God." I helped her sit up. "Liss, you aren't there anymore. Wake up."**

Andre paled when he heard this, he knew he was named after his mom's dead brother but things like this made him long for the uncle he never had.

**After a few moments, her eyes fluttered open, and in the dim lighting, I could see a flicker of consciousness start to take over. Her frantic breathing slowed, and she leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. I put an arm around her and ran a hand over her hair.**

**"It's okay," I told her gently. "Everything's okay." "I had that dream."**

**"Yeah. I know."**

**We sat like that for several minutes, not saying anything else. When I felt her emotions calm down, I leaned over to the nightstand between our beds and turned on the lamp. It glowed dimly, but neither of us really needed much to see by. Attracted by the light, our housemate's cat, Oscar, leapt up onto the sill of the open window He gave me a wide berth—animals don't like dhampirs, for whatever reason—but jumped onto the bed and rubbed his head against Lissa, purring softly. Animals didn't have a problem with Moroi, and they all loved Lissa in particular. Smiling, she scratched his chin, and I felt her calm further.**

**"**Wasn't Oscar the cat mom bought when you were 5, rhea?" Andre asked his sister.  
"Yeah, the one that you lost." Said Rhea  
Hey, in my defense that cat was creepy and it tried to kill me and Ivan." Said Andre  
"Don't drag me into this." Snapped Ivan. To avoid a fight between the two Rhea immediately started reading.

**"When did we last do a feeding?" I asked, studying her face. Her fair skin was paler than usual. Dark circles hung under her eyes, and there was an air of frailty about her. School had been hectic this week, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd given her blood. **

**"**Wait, what? Mom gave blood to Aunt Lissa?" Screamed Ivan  
"Yes Ivan, they were in the middle of humans, mom didn't have a choice." I explained. Mom had told me about this last year.

**"It's been like...more than two days, hasn't it? Three? Why didn't you say anything?"**

**She shrugged and wouldn't meet my eyes. "You were busy. I didn't want to—"**

**"Screw that," I said, shifting into a better position. No wonder she seemed so weak. Oscar, not wanting me any closer, leapt down and returned to the window, where he could watch at a safe distance. "Come on. Let's do this."**

**"Rose—"**

**"Come ****_on. _****It'll make you feel better."**

**I tilted my head and tossed my hair back, baring my neck. I saw her hesitate, but the sight of my neck and what it offered proved too powerful. A hungry expression crossed her face, and her lips parted slightly, exposing the fangs she normally kept hidden while living among humans. Those fangs contrasted oddly with the rest of her features. With her pretty face and pale blond hair, she looked more like an angel than a vampire.**

"Your Mom has a weird mind." Said Eric.

**As her teeth neared my bare skin, I felt my heart race with a mix of fear and anticipation. I always hated feeling the latter, but it was nothing I could help, a weakness I couldn't shake.**

**Her fangs bit into me, hard, and I cried out at the brief flare of pain. Then it faded, replaced by a wonderful, golden joy that spread through my body. It was better than any of the times I'd been drunk or high. Better than sex—or so I imagined, since I'd never done it.**

"Drunk or high I get, but Aunt Rose was a virgin." Exclaimed my really shocked boyfriend.  
"What did you think that all Dhampir girls are sluts and can't keep their legs closed?" I said offended that my boyfriend would think so even after he knew that I lost my virginity to him only a couple of weeks ago  
"That's not what I meant Annie, I know dhampir girls aren't sluts but I was just slightly surprised that she was still a virgin for so long." He said before Telling Rhea to continue.

**It was a blanket of pure, refined pleasure, wrapping me up and promising everything would be right in the world. On and on it went. The chemicals in her saliva triggered an endorphin rush, and I lost track of the world, lost track of who I was.**

"That is creepy, I never want to get bitten." Said Christie. Ivan caught my eye and smiled proudly at our baby sister.  
Meanwhile Andre was just looking down at the floor staring at the 'interesting' patterns on the floor to avoid looking at me or Rhea or Ivan. No, I had never let him bite me yet, but I knew that he had bitten other girls during sex.

**Then, regretfully, it was over. It had taken less than a minute.**

**She pulled back, wiping her hand across her lips as she studied me. "You okay?"**

**"I...yeah." I lay back on the bed, dizzy from the blood loss. "I just need to sleep it off. I'm fine."**

"Typical Mom, pretending to be fine even when people know she isn't, just like Anya." Said Ivan.

**Her pale, jade-green eyes watched me with concern. She stood up. "I'm going to get you something to eat."**

**My protests came awkwardly to my lips, and she left before I could get out a sentence. The buzz from her bite had lessened as soon as she broke the connection, but some of it still lingered in my veins, and I felt a goofy smile cross my lips. Turning my head, I glanced up at Oscar, still sitting in the window.**

**"You don't know what you're missing," I told him.**

"Aunt Rose has definitely taken a trip to crazy ville." Said Sydney.

**His attention was on something outside. Hunkering down into a crouch, he puffed out his jet-black fur. His tail started twitching.**

**My smile faded, and I forced myself to sit up. The world spun, and I waited for it to right itself before trying to stand. When I managed it, the dizziness set in again and this time refused to leave. Still, I felt okay enough to stumble to the window and peer out with Oscar. He eyed me warily, scooted over a little, and then returned to whatever had held his attention.**

**A warm breeze—unseasonably warm for a Portland fall— played with my hair as I leaned out. The street was dark and relatively quiet. It was three in the morning, just about the only time a college campus settled down, at least somewhat. The house in which we'd rented a room for the past eight months sat on a residential street with old,**

"Why would they stay at the same place for 8 months?" Asked Mason

"It makes it easier for anyone to find them considering that they were probably using my mom's trust fund money." Said Rhea  
"I guess mom and aunt rose didn't realize that they'd be caught so easily." Said Andre.

**Mismatched houses. Across the road, a streetlight flickered, nearly ready to burn out. It still cast enough light for me to make out the shapes of cars and buildings. In our own yard, I could see the silhouettes of trees and bushes.**

**And a man watching me.**

**"**Stalker," Said Connor  
Cassie, Sydney and Christie all gasped in shock.  
"10 bucks says, that that was Uncle Dimka." Said Andre  
"My dad's not a stalker so you're on bitch." I told him narrowing my eyes at him making him chuckle.

**I jerked back in surprise. A figure stood by a tree in the yard, about thirty feet away, where he could easily see through the window. He was close enough that I probably could have thrown something and hit him. He was certainly close enough that he could have seen what Lissa and I had just done.**

**The shadows covered him so well that even with my heightened sight, I couldn't make out any of his features, save for his height. He was tall. Really tall. He stood there for just a moment, barely discernible, and then stepped back, disappearing into the shadows cast by the trees on the far side of the yard. I was pretty sure I saw someone else move nearby and join him before the blackness swallowed them both.  
**Cassie, Sydney and Christie all gasped loudly.

**Whoever these figures were, Oscar didn't like them. Not counting me, he usually got along with most people, growing upset only when someone posed an immediate danger. The guy outside hadn't done anything threatening to Oscar, but the cat had sensed something, something that put him on edge.**

**Something similar to what he always sensed in me.**

**"**It's a Dhampir, It can easily be uncle Dimka." Said Eric.

**Icy fear raced through me, almost—but not quite—eradicating the lovely bliss of Lissa's bite. Backing up from the window, I jerked on a pair of jeans that I found on the floor, nearly falling over in the process. Once they were on, I grabbed my coat and Lissa's, along with our wallets. Shoving my feet into the first shoes I saw, I headed out the door.**

"Weren't they on the run?" Said Ivan. "How many shoes could they possible have?" Said Andre.  
"You can never have enough shoes." Said Cassie.  
"Shoes are more necessary than condoms." Said Sydney  
"Ok, Syd, enough exaggeration, but yes shoes are extremely important." Said Rhea.

**Downstairs, I found her in the cramped kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator. One of our housemates, Jeremy, sat at the table, hand on his forehead as he stared sadly at a calculus book.**

"Calculus is easy." Said Sydney and we all stared at her like she was crazy at which she rolled her emerald green eyes.

**Lissa regarded me with surprise.**

**"You shouldn't be up." "We have to go. Now." Her eyes widened, and then a moment later, understanding clicked in. "Are you...really? Are you sure?"**

**I nodded. I couldn't explain how I knew for sure. I just did. Jeremy watched us curiously. "What's wrong?" An idea came to mind. "Liss, get his car keys." He looked back and forth between us. "What are you—"**

**Lissa unhesitatingly walked over to him. Her fear poured into me through our psychic bond, but there was something else too: her complete faith that I would take care of everything, that we would be safe. Like always, I hoped I was worthy of that kind of trust.**

"Mom is worth the trust." Said Ivan.  
"Yeah, Aunt Rose is the best." Said Lucy.

**She smiled broadly and gazed directly into his eyes. For a moment, Jeremy just stared, still confused, and then I saw the thrall seize him. His eyes glazed over, and he regarded her adoringly.**

**"We need to borrow your car," she said in a gentle voice. "Where are your keys?"**

**He smiled, and I shivered. I had a high resistance to compulsion, but I could still feel its effects when it was directed at another person. That, and I'd been taught my entire life that using it was wrong. Reaching into his pocket, Jeremy handed over a set of keys hanging on a large red key chain.  
**"Man, I should try it sometime." Said Andre. I glared at him and he rolled his eyes.

**"Thank you," said Lissa. "And where is it parked?"**

**"Down the street," he said dreamily." At the corner. By Brown." Four blocks away.**

**"Thank you," she repeated, backing up. "As soon as we leave, I want you to go back to studying. Forget you ever saw us tonight."**

**He nodded obligingly. I got the impression he would have walked off a cliff for her right then if she'd asked. All humans were susceptible to compulsion, but Jeremy appeared weaker than most. That came in handy right now.**

"Wow, that is some really strong compulsion." Commented Ivan. Andre was trying his best not to laugh and gloat that he was better, which he was. We had been caught sneaking back from one of the cabins on campus when a guardian named Meredith had found us. Andre compelled her to forget she ever saw us and also to go the other way.

**"Come on," I told her. "We've got to move."**

**We stepped outside, heading toward the corner he'd named. I was still dizzy from the bite and kept stumbling, unable to move as quickly as I wanted. Lissa had to catch hold of me a few times to stop me from falling. All the time, that anxiety rushed into me from her mind. I tried my best to ignore it; I had my own fears to deal with.**

**"Rose...what are we going to do if they catch us?" she whispered.**

**"They won't," I said fiercely. "I won't let them."**

**"But if they've found us—"**

**"They found us before. They didn't catch us then. We'll just drive over to the train station and go to L.A. They'll lose the trail."**

"She makes everything sound so simple." I said out loud.

**I made it sound simple.**

**"**wow, like mother like daughter." Said Rhea making everyone laugh and me grin proudly.

**I always did, even though there was nothing simple about being on the run from the people we'd grown up with. We'd been doing it for two years, hiding wherever we could and just trying to finish high school. Our senior year had just started, and living on a college campus had seemed safe. We were so close to freedom.**

"Yeah Right. Mom has to learn that the royals never get close to freedom." Said Christie surprising us all that a 12 year old understood our society better than a 17 year old.

**She said nothing more, and I felt her faith in me surge up once more. This was the way it had always been between us. I was the one who took action, who made sure things happened— sometimes recklessly so.**

**"**From, what I've heard sometimes is an understatement." Said Ivan

**She was the more reasonable one, the one who thought things out and researched them extensively before acting. Both styles had their uses, but at the moment, recklessness was called for. We didn't have time to hesitate.**

"Don't hesitate," Said Mason, imitating my dad perfectly making us all laugh.

**Lissa and I had been best friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell ****_Vasilisa Dragomir _****and ****_Rosemarie Hathaway _****was beyond cruel, and we'd—or rather, ****_I'd _****—responded appropriately. I'd chucked my book at our teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn't known what those words meant, but I'd known how to hit a moving target.**

**Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.**

Everyone in the room laughed at this while I pouted because my mom had screamed at me so many times for being "too violent" when she was worse than me.

**"Do you hear that?" she asked suddenly.**

**It took me a few seconds to pick up what her sharper senses already had. Footsteps, moving fast. I grimaced. We had two more blocks to go.**

**"We've got to run for it," I said, catching hold of her arm. "But you can't—" "Run."**

**It took every ounce of my willpower not to pass out on the sidewalk. My body didn't want to run after losing blood or while still metabolizing the effects of her saliva. But I ordered my muscles to stop their bitching**

**"**You're right Christie, mom has taken a trip down to crazy ville." Ivan told her shaking his head.

**And clung to Lissa as our feet pounded against the concrete. Normally I could have outrun her without any extra effort—particularly since she was barefoot—but tonight, she was all that held me upright.**

"Blood Loss makes you weak." Said Cassie

"We know that Cassie." Said Connor shutting her up.

**The pursuing footsteps grew louder, closer. Black stars danced before my eyes. Ahead of us, I could make out Jeremy's green Honda. Oh God, if we could just make it—**

**Ten feet from the car, a man stepped directly into our path. We came to a screeching halt, and I jerked Lissa back by her arm. It was ****_him, _****the guy I'd seen across the street watching me. He was older than us, maybe mid-twenties, and as tall as I'd figured, probably six-six or six-seven. And under different circumstances—say, when he wasn't holding up our desperate escape—I would have thought he was hot. Shoulder-length brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark brown eyes. A long brown coat—a duster, I thought it was called.**

"Pay up." Said Andre

"It could still be someone else." I told him even though I knew that the bet was lost.

**But his hotness was irrelevant now. He was only an obstacle keeping Lissa and me away from the car and our freedom. The footsteps behind us slowed, and I knew our pursuers had caught up. Off to the sides, I detected more movement, more people closing in. God. They'd sent almost a dozen guardians to retrieve us. I couldn't believe it. The queen herself didn't travel with that many.**

"Yep, the queen travels with 3 sometimes 4." Said Cassie.  
"Um, Cassie my mom's the queen so I guess I know." Said Eric

**Panicked and not entirely in control of my higher reasoning, I acted out of instinct. I pressed up to Lissa, keeping her behind me and away from the man who appeared to be the leader.**

"It must be Dad, mom complains so many times that he was the one that found her." Said Ivan. I just sat and glared at him.

**"Leave her alone," I growled. "Don't touch her."**

**His face was unreadable, but he held out his hands in what was apparently supposed to be some sort of calming gesture, like I was a rabid animal he was planning to sedate.**

**"I'm not going to—"**

**He took a step forward. Too close.**

**"**who wants to bet that she attacked him." Said Eric  
"Eric, its obvious that she attacked him, it wouldn't be aunt rose if she just let it go." Said Connor.

**I attacked him, leaping out in an offensive maneuver I hadn't used in two years, not since Lissa and I had run away. The move was stupid, another reaction born of instinct and fear. And it was hopeless. He was a skilled guardian, not a novice who hadn't finished his training. He also wasn't weak and on the verge of passing out.**

"Only mom and Anya would attack someone even when they are about to pass out." Said Ivan shaking his head.

**And man, was he fast. I'd forgotten how fast guardians could be, how they could move and strike like cobras. He knocked me off as though brushing away a fly, and his hands slammed into me and sent me backwards. I don't think he meant to strike that hard—probably just intended to keep me away—but my lack of coordination interfered with my ability to respond. Unable to catch my footing, I started to fall,**

**heading straight toward the sidewalk at a twisted angle, hip-first. It was going to hurt. A ****_lot._**

**Only it didn't.**

"wait what, did you just say that it didn't hurt." Said Mason

**Just as quickly as he'd blocked me, the man reached out and caught my arm, keeping me upright.**

"Ye-ah! Dad saves mom. Dad lurves Mom." Said Christie in a singsong voice.

**When I'd steadied myself, I noticed he was staring at me—or, more precisely, at my neck. Still disoriented, I didn't get it right away. Then, slowly, my free hand reached up to the side of my throat and lightly touched the wound Lissa had made earlier. When I pulled my fingers back, I saw slick, dark blood on my skin. Embarrassed, I shook my hair so that it fell forward around my face. My hair was thick and long and completely covered my neck. I'd grown it out for precisely this reason.**

"Seriously, I thought she just liked having long hair unlike most of the guardians out there, making her unique." Said Ivan  
"Not unique anymore, Anya has long hair and she loves it way too much." Said Andre  
"Yeah, never cutting it." I said loudly. "It also covers most of the hickeys that your stubborn boyfriend leaves even when you repeatedly warn him not to do so." I whispered to Andre making him laugh.

**The guy's dark eyes lingered on the now-covered bite a moment longer and then met mine. I returned his look defiantly and quickly jerked out of his hold. He let me go, though I knew he could have restrained**

**me all night if he'd wanted. Fighting the nauseating dizziness, I backed toward Lissa again, bracing myself for another attack. Suddenly, her hand caught hold of mine. "Rose," she said quietly. "Don't."**

**Her words had no effect on me at first, but calming thoughts gradually began to settle in my mind, coming across through the bond. It wasn't exactly compulsion—she wouldn't use that on me—but it was effectual, as was the fact that we were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. Even I knew struggling would be pointless. The tension left my body, and I sagged in defeat.**

"I didn't think that Aunt Rose would accept defeat so quickly." Said a disappointed Eric.

**Sensing my resignation, the man stepped forward, turning his attention to Lissa. His face was calm. He swept her a bow and managed to look graceful doing it, which surprised me considering his height. "My name is Dimitri Belikov," he said. I could hear a faint Russian accent. "I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princess."**

**"**Anya, pay up. None of your excuses matter now." Andre told me smugly.  
I glared at him and handed him the money.  
"So who is reading next?" asked Ivan.  
"Me I guess." Said Eric.


	3. Chapter 2

**MY HATRED NOTWITHSTANDING,**

"So mom hated dad." Said Christie but before I could explain, rhea beat me to it,  
"Look, Christie, your mom didn't actually hate your dad but they were in a situation where feeling anything else for him would be pretty hard so she thought of that."

**I HAD to admit Dimitri Beli-whatever**

"Only mom." Said Ivan shaking his head. It's pretty weird hearing your mom mispronounce her own future last name

**was pretty smart. After they'd carted us off to the airport to and onto the Academy's private jet, he'd taken one look at the two of us whispering and ordered us separated.**

"10 bucks he figured out that they were planning an escape." Said Ivan. No one took him up on he bet though because it was pretty obvious.

**"Don't let them talk to each other," he warned the guardian who escorted me to the back of the plane. "Five minutes together, and they'll come up with an escape plan."**

"Like I said." Said Ivan Smugly

"It was pretty damn obvious Ivan." Said Connor.  
"Connor don't cuss." Chastised Sydney at which Connor pouted.

**I shot him a haughty look and stormed off down the aisle. Never mind the fact we ****_had_**** been planning escape.**

**As it was, things didn't look good for our heroes—or heroines, rather. Once we were in the air, our odds of escape dropped further. Even supposing a miracle occurred and I did manage to take out all ten guardians, we'd sort of have a problem in getting off the plane. I figured they might have parachutes aboard somewhere, but in the unlikely event I'd be able to operate one, there was still that little issue of survival, seeing as we'd probably land somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.**

"Yeah no problem for Superwoman Aunt Rose." Said Eric making everyone in the room laugh.

**No, we weren't getting off this plane until it landed in backwoods Montana . I'd have to think of something then, something that involved getting past the Academy's magical wards and ten times as many guardians. Yeah. No problem.**

"Hey, Eric, you think like aunt rose." Said Rhea.  
"Hold it, that's creepy. Anya and Ivan are like her enough we don't need another one." Said Cassie making Ivan throw a pillow at her and me glare. She just rolled her eyes and ignored us.

**Although Lissa sat at the front with the Russian guy,**

"Russian guy seriously." Said Andre.  
"Well it's aunt Rose." Said Rhea like that was all the explanation that she needed.

**her fear sang back to me, pounding inside my head like a hammer. My concern for her cut into my fury. They couldn't take her back ****_there,_**** not to that place. I wondered if Dimitri might have hesitated if he could feel what I did and if he knew what I knew. Probably not. He didn't care.**

"I'm sure he did." I said out loud because it was true my dad was one of the most caring people in the world and I loved him for it.

**As it was, her emotions grew so strong that for a moment, I had the disorienting sensation of sitting in her seat—in her ****_skin_**** even. It happened sometimes, and without much warning, she'd pull me right into her head.**

"Weird, so glad I'm not bonded to anyone." Said Ivan  
"Relax, Andre." I whispered to Andre trying to calm him down. The mention of a bond mate always made him restless because he didn't have one and spirit was affecting him badly.

**Dimitri's tall frame sat beside me, and my hand—****_her _****hand—gripped a bottle of water. He leaned forward to pick up something, revealing six tiny symbols tattooed on the back of his neck: ****_molnija_**** marks.**

None of us was surprised about the molnija marks, even now dad had about 15 molnija marks and 2 battle marks while mom had 3 battle marks and 14 molnija marks.

**They looked like two streaks of jagged lightning crossing in an X symbol. One for each Strigoi he'd killed. Above them was a twisting line, sort of like a snake, that marked him as a guardian. The promise mark.**

All the dhampirs had pride and longing in their eyes. It was a great matter of prestige.

**Blinking, I fought against her and shifted back into my own head with a grimace. I hated when that happened. Feeling Lissa's emotions was one thing, but slipping into her was something we both despised. She saw it as an invasion of privacy, so I usually didn't tell her when it happened. Neither of us could control it. It was another effect of the bond, a bond neither of us fully understood. Legends existed about psychic links between guardians and their Moroi, but the stories had never mentioned anything like this.**

**We fumbled through it as best we could.**

"Translation : We suffered terribly." Said Connor in a surprisingly strange Stan like voice.

**Near the end of the flight, Dimitri walked back to where I sat and traded places with the guardian beside me. I pointedly turned away, staring out the window absentmindedly. Several moments of silence passed. Finally, he said, "Were you really going to attack all of us?"**

"Yes." I said, "Knowing mom she would attack anyone that even got too close to aunt Lissa."

**I didn't answer.**

**"Doing that…protecting her like that—it was very brave."**

"Huh?" Said most of the group because we had all been scolded by Dad for doing anything dumb never complimented.**  
He paused. ****_"Stupid, _****but still brave. Why did**

**you even try it?"**

"Lost cause dad, she'll never answer." Said Christie. I silently agreed with her and Andre was smirking at me because he knew that I had inherited this habit from my mom.

**I glanced over at him, brushing my hair out of my face so I could look him levelly in the eye. "Because I'm her guardian." I turned back toward the window.**

"Now that is called confidence." Said Connor in an awed voice.

**After another quiet moment, he stood up and returned to the front of the jet.**

"Poor Dad, mom keeps ignoring him." Said Ivan as if to say that he knew how that felt. Ivan was a player and he had never had a constant girlfriend for more that 2 months so who was ignoring him. I was so caught up in my wonderings that I had barely noticed that Eric had started reading again.

**When we landed, Lissa and I had no choice but to let the commandos drive us out to the Academy. Our car stopped at the gate, and our driver spoke with guards who verified we weren't Strigoi about to go off on a killing spree. After a minute, they let us pass on through the wards and up to the Academy itself. It was around sunset—the start of the vampiric day—and the campus lay wrapped in shadows.**

**It probably looked the same, sprawling and gothic. The Moroi were big on tradition; nothing ever changed with them. This school wasn't as old as the ones back in Europe , but it had been built in the same style. The buildings boasted elaborate, almost churchlike architecture, with high peaks and stone carvings. Wrought iron gates enclosed small gardens and doorways here and there. After living on a college campus, I had a new appreciation for just how much this place resembled a university more than a typical high school.**

**We were on the secondary campus, which was divided into lower and upper schools. Each was built around a large open quadrangle decorated with stone paths and enormous, century-old trees. We were going toward the upper school's quad, which had academic buildings on one side, while dhampir dormitories and the gym sat opposite. Moroi dorms sat on one of the other ends, and opposite them** **were the administrative buildings that also served the lower school. Younger students lived on the primary campus, farther to the west.**

**Around all the campuses was space, space, and more space. We were in Montana , after all, miles away from any real city. The air felt cool in my lungs and smelled of pine and wet, decaying leaves. Overgrown forests ringed the perimeters of the Academy, and during the day, you could see mountains rising up in** **the distance.**

"Wow, who knew mom could be so descriptive." Said Ivan making Andre chuckle slightly.

**As we walked into the main part of the upper school, I broke from my guardian and ran up to Dimitri.**

"Uh oh." Said Rhea

**"Hey, Comrade."**

"That's it." I said

"What's it?" Asked Eric  
"That's how my mom got her famous nickname for dad, I thought there was a better story behind it." I said disappointed. I had sincerely hoped that there was an actual reason behind the nickname instead of just a random whim.

**He kept walking and wouldn't look at me. "You want to talk now?**

**"Are you taking us to Kirova?"**

**"Headmistress Kirova," he corrected. On the other side of him, Lissa shot me a look that said, ****_Don't start_****_something._**

**"Headmistress. Whatever. She's still a self-righteous old bit—"**

"Bitch." Said Cassie. She had had some terrible encounters with her.

**My words faded as the guardians led us through a set of doors—straight into the commons. I sighed. Were these people ****_really_**** so cruel? There had to be at least a dozen ways to get to Kirova's office, and they were taking us right through the center of the commons.**

"That's cruel." Said Andre

**And it was breakfast time.**

"Shit, that's worse." I said. Breakfast at the commons was gossip central.

**Novice guardians—dhampirs like me—and Moroi sat together, eating and socializing, faces alight with** **whatever current gossip held the Academy's attention. When we entered, the loud buzz of conversation stopped instantly, like someone had flipped a switch. Hundreds of sets of eyes swiveled toward us.**

"I feel bad for them." Said Sydney.

**I returned the stares of my former classmates with a lazy grin, trying to get a sense as to whether things had changed. Nope. Didn't seem like it. Camille Conta still looked like the prim, perfectly groomed bitch I remembered, still the self-appointed leader of the Academy's royal Moroi cliques. Off to the side,**

**Lissa's gawky near-cousin Natalie watched with wide eyes, as innocent and naive as before.**

"I didn't know mom had cousins." Said Eric while Andre avoided his eyes. Oh boy, what did Andre know? I had to find out before the next chapter so I leaned towards him and quietly asked him he just shook his head and told me to listen.  
HOW FUCKING RUDE. I was so getting back at him for this.

**And on the other side of the room…well, that was interesting. Aaron. Poor, poor Aaron, who'd no doubt had his heart broken when Lissa left. He still looked as cute as ever—maybe more so now—with those same golden looks that complemented hers so well. His eyes followed her every move. Yes. Definitely not over her. It was sad, really, because Lissa had never really been all that into him. I think she'd gone out with him simply because it seemed like the expected thing to do.**

"That's mean." Said Christie while most of us looked down guiltily since we had all dates someone just for the sake of dating them.

**But what I found most interesting was that Aaron had apparently found a way to pass the time without her. Beside him, holding his hand, was a Moroi girl who looked about eleven but had to be older, unless he'd become a pedophile during our absence. With plump little cheeks and blond ringlets, she looked like a porcelain doll.**

"10 bucks its Aunt Mia." Said Andre  
"Hey just because she has blonde ringlets does not mean that she is Aunt Mia." Said Rhea. I silently agreed with her but Andre had a knack for winning money off bets so I didn't take him up but Rhea had different plans. "Oh you're on brother." She said before Eric continued.

**A very pissed off and evil porcelain doll.**

"Definitely not Aunt Mia, she's not evil looking." Said Christie while Andre and I both smiled at her cuteness.

**She gripped his hand tightly and shot Lissa a look of such burning hatred that it stunned me. What the hell was that all about? She was no one I knew. Just a jealous girlfriend, I guessed. I'd be pissed too if my guy was watching someone else like that.**

"I don't even wanna imagine what she would do if anyone even tried to look at Uncle Dimitri." Said Andre shivering.

**Our walk of shame mercifully ended, though our new setting—Headmistress Kirova's office—didn't really improve things. The old hag looked exactly like I remembered, sharp-nosed and gray-haired. She was tall and slim, like most Moroi, and had always reminded me of a vulture. I knew her well because I'd** **spent a lot of time in her office.**

"And we are both grounded if we end up there. Not Fair." Said Ivan.  
"Life is not fair buddy." Said Connor sympathetically.

**Most of our escorts left us once Lissa and I were seated, and I felt a little less like a prisoner.**

**Only Alberta , the captain of the school's guardians, and Dimitri stayed. **

"And of course she remembers him." Said Ivan

**They took up positions along the wall, looking stoic and terrifying, just as their job description required.**

**Kirova fixed her angry eyes on us and opened her mouth to begin what would no doubt be a major bitch session. A deep, gentle voice stopped her.**

**"Vasilisa."**

**Startled, I realized there was someone else in the room. I hadn't noticed. Careless for a guardian, even a novice one.**

"True that." Said Mason speaking for the first time in a while.

**With a great deal of effort, Victor Dashkov rose from a corner chair. ****_Prince_**** Victor Dashkov. Lissa sprang up and ran to him, throwing her arms around his frail body.**

**"Uncle," she whispered. She sounded on the verge of tears as she tightened her grip.**

"I wonder why we have never heard of him." I said aloud.

**With a small smile, he gently patted her back. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you safe, Vasilisa." He looked toward me. "And you too, Rose."**

"Always on a second thought bloody hypocritical royals." Said Andre.  
"Chill Andre and you are a bloody Royal." I told him  
"Yeah but-" He said but Eric cut him off and started reading, he was hungry and knowing his sister, she would never let them leave unless they had finished this chapter, he started to read.

**I nodded back, trying to hide how shocked I was. He'd been sick when we left, but this—this was ****_horrible. _****He was Natalie's father, only about forty or so, but he looked twice that age. Pale. shaking. My heart broke watching him. With all the horrible people in the world, it didn't seem fair that this guy should get a disease that was going to kill him young and ultimately keep him from becoming** **king.**

"Aw poor guy, I feel so sorry for him." Said Lucy. We all agreed with her.

**Although not technically her uncle—the Moroi used family terms very loosely, especially the royals—Victor was a close friend of Lissa's family and had gone out of his way to help her after her parents had died. I liked him; he was the first person I was happy to see here.**

"Now, that is truly sad." Said Sydney.

**Kirova let them have a few more moments and then stiffly drew Lissa back to her seat.**

"Time for the lecture." I said. Eric laughed and everyone just looked at him, so he started reading.

**Time for the lecture.**

"Like mother like daughter." Said Rhea making me blush slightly.

**It was a good one—one of Kirova's best, which was saying something. She was a master at them. I swear that was the only reason she'd gone into school administration, because I had yet to see any evidence of her actually ****_liking_**** kids.**

"No one actually has seen any evidence of her liking kids thank god she is retiring after the summer." Said Ivan.  
"She is so old," Said Lucy.

**The rant covered the usual topics: responsibility reckless behavior, self-centeredness.…Bleh. I immediately found myself spacing out, alternatively pondering the logistics of escaping through the window in her office.**

Everyone laughed at this.

**But when the tirade shifted to me—well, that was when I tuned back in.**

"Uh oh. 10 bucks says mom attacks someone." I said  
"She won't attack anyone so you're on." Said Andre. Damn it.

**"You, Miss Hathaway, broke the most sacred promise among our kind: the promise of a guardian to protect a Moroi. It is a great trust. A trust that you violated by selfishly taking the princess away from here. The Strigoi would love to finish off the Dragomirs; ****_you_**** nearly enabled them to do it."**

**"Rose didn't kidnap me." Lissa spoke before I could, her voice and face calm, despite her uneasy feelings. "I wanted to go. Don't blame her."**

"Yeah right. Like that would stop her." Said Mason

**Ms. Kirova ****_tsk_****ed at us both and paced the office, hands folded behind her narrow back.**

**"Miss Dragomir, you could have been the one who orchestrated the entire plan for all I know, but it was still ****_her_**** responsibility to make sure you didn't carry it out. If she'd done her duty, she would have notified someone. If she'd done her duty, she would have kept you safe."**

**I snapped.**

**"I ****_did_**** do my duty!" I shouted, jumping up from my chair. Dimitri and Alberta both flinched but left me** **alone since I wasn't trying to hit anyone.**

"Yet" I said smugly looking at Andre raising my eyebrow

**Yet.**

Wow, I really do think like mom.

**"I did keep her safe! I kept her safe when none of ****_you"_**** —I made a sweeping gesture around the room—"could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren't going to."**

I wondered about what mom said, was this to protect Aunt Lissa from spirit or something else

**Through the bond, I felt Lissa trying to send me calming messages, again urging me not to let anger get the best of me.**

"yeah Right, like that's ever going to happen." Said Ivan darkly.

**Too late.**

**Kirova stared at me, her face blank. "Miss Hathaway, forgive me if I fail to see the logic of how taking her out of a heavily guarded, magically secured environment is protecting her. Unless there's something** **you aren't telling us?"**

**I bit my lip.**

"Dad's definitely going to notice, he's too perceptive for his own good." Said Ivan.

**"I see. Well, then. By my estimation, the only reason you left—aside from the novelty of it, no doubt—was to avoid the consequences of that horrible, destructive stunt you pulled just before your disappearance."**

**"No, that's not—"**

**"And that only makes my decision that much easier. As a Moroi, the princess must continue on here at the Academy for her own safety, but we have no such obligations to you. You will be sent away as soon as possible."**

"WHAT" Cried Ivan  
"HYPOCRITICAL ASSHOLES" cried Andre while the rest of us were too shocked to say anything. Eric continued reading in hopes to avoid another outburst.

**My cockiness dried up. "I…what?"**

**Lissa stood up beside me. "You can't do that! She's my guardian."**

"Not going to work mom." Said Rhea sadly.

**"She is no such thing, particularly since she isn't even a guardian at all. She's still a novice."**

**"But my parents—"**

**"I know what your parents wanted, God rest their souls, but things have changed. Miss Hathaway is expendable. She doesn't deserve to be a guardian, and she will leave."**

"She can't do that, Can she?" Said a scared Christie.  
"I don't know honey but lets hope not." I tried to comfort her.

**I stared at Kirova, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal ? Did she even know I was gone? Or maybe you'll send me off to my ****_father?"_**

"Wait, when did mom meet grandpa." Said Ivan.  
"I don't think she knew him before she was 18." Said Rhea.

**Her eyes narrowed at the bite in that last word. When I spoke again, my voice was so cold, I barely recognized it.**

**"Or maybe you're going to try to send me off to be a blood whore. Try that, and we'll be gone by the end of the day."**

**"Miss Hathaway," she hissed, "you are out of line."**

**"They have a bond." Dimitri's low, accented voice broke the heavy tension, and we all turned toward him. I think Kirova had forgotten he was there, but I hadn't.**

"Of course she hadn't." Said Sydney.

**His presence was way too powerful to ignore. He still stood against the wall, looking like some sort of cowboy sentry in that ridiculous long coat** **of his.**

"That duster is ridiculous." I said. Hey, I loved my dad but some things were just way too ridiculous.  
"Yeah." Agreed Rhea.  
"Would you put up with me if I wore such a ridiculous coat." Andre Whispered to me to which I hissed back, "Don't even dare to." Making hi chuckle

**He looked at me, not Lissa, his dark eyes staring straight through me. "Rose knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don't you?"**

**I at least had the satisfaction of seeing Kirova caught off guard as she glanced between us and Dimitri. "No…that's impossible. That hasn't happened in centuries."**

"Yeah because spirit users didn't even know about their own element to try." Said Andre sadly. He wished more people had known about spirit so that a cure of some sort could be developed for the darkness.

**"It's obvious," he said. "I suspected as soon as I started watching them."**

"Stalker." Said Connor in a singsong voice and Mason echoed him.

**Neither Lissa nor I responded, and I averted my eyes from his.**

"mom is terrible at hiding things, no wonder dad always finds his gifts before he is meant to find them." Said Ivan

**"That is a gift," murmured Victor from his corner. "A rare and wonderful thing."**

**"The best guardians always had that bond," added Dimitri. "In the stories."**

"so he is implying that mom is the best." Said Christie.

**Kirova's outrage returned. "Stories that are centuries old," she exclaimed. "Surely you aren't suggesting we let her stay at the Academy after everything she's done?"**

Chants of "Yes, Yes, yes." Could be heard around the room

**He shrugged. "She might be wild and disrespectful, but if she has potential—"**

**"Wild and disrespectful? "I interrupted. "Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?"**

"Doesn't she get that he is trying to help her." Said Mason.

**"Guardian Belikov is the princess's guardian now," said Kirova. "Her ****_sanctioned_**** guardian."**

"Ooh burn." Said Connor.

**"You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?"**

"Aunt rose, seriously has the best insults." Said Cassie.  
"Yeah, so does Ivan I mean they are usually pretty good." Said a slightly pink Lucy. I caught Rhea's eyes and we both burst out laughing. Ah the beginning of a crush.

**That was pretty mean of me to say—particularly since most Moroi and their guardians were of Russian or Romanian descent—but the comment seemed cleverer at the time than it really was. And it wasn't like I was one to talk. I might have been raised in the U.S. , but my parents were foreign-born. My dhampir mother was Scottish—red-haired, with a ridiculous accent—and I'd been told my Moroi dad was Turkish. That genetic combination had given me skin the same color as the inside of an almond, along with what I liked to think were semi-exotic desert-princess features: big dark eyes and hair so deep brown that it usually looked black. I wouldn't have minded inheriting the red hair, but we take what we get.**

I had inherited most of these features from mom except for the deep brown eyes, I had chocolate brown eyes like dad.  
"I love your hair." Whispered Andre making me blush slightly.

**Kirova threw her hands up in exasperation and turned to him. "You see? Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and ****_very_**** raw potential in the world can't make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian."**

"Actually not true, a guardian without discipline can at least provide a diversion if not fully defend." Said Mason.  
"We know Mase." Said Ivan.

**"So teach her discipline. Classes just started. Put her back in and get her training again."**

**"Impossible. She'll still be hopelessly behind her peers."**

**"No, I won't," I argued. No one listened to me. "Then give her extra training sessions," he said.**

**They continued on while the rest of us watched the exchange like it was a Ping-Pong game. My pride was still hurt over the ease with which Dimitri had tricked us, but it occurred to me that he might very well keep me here with Lissa. Better to stay at this hellhole than be without her. Through our bond, I could feel her trickle of hope.**

**"Who's going to put in the extra time?" demanded Kirova. "You?"**

**Dimitri's argument came to an abrupt stop. "Well, that's not what I—"**

"No dad, please say yes." Said Christie  
"Um Christie you just talked to a book." Said Eric before beginning.

**Kirova crossed her arms with satisfaction. "Yes. That's what I thought."**

**Clearly at a loss, he frowned. His eyes flicked toward Lissa and me, and I wondered what he saw. Two pathetic girls, looking at him with big, pleading eyes? Or two runaways who'd broken out of a high-security school and swiped half of Lissa's inheritance?**

"Probably the second one." Said Andre  
"maybe both." I contradicted him.

**"Yes," he said finally. "I can mentor Rose. I'll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones."**

"Yes." Cried Christie.

**"And then what?" retorted Kirova angrily. "She goes unpunished?"**

**"Find some other way to punish her," answered Dimitri. "Guardian numbers have gone down too much to risk losing another. A girl, in particular."**

**His unspoken words made me shudder, reminding me of my earlier statement about "blood whores." Few dhampir girls became guardians anymore.**

"Well there are definitely more girls now then there were before." Said Ivan.

**Victor suddenly spoke up from his corner. "I'm inclined to agree with Guardian Belikov. Sending Rose** **away would be a shame, a waste of talent."**

Andre narrowed his eyes.

**Ms. Kirova stared out her window. It was completely black outside. With the Academy's nocturnal schedule, ****_morning_**** and ****_afternoon_**** were relative terms. That, and they kept the windows tinted to block out excess light.**

**When she turned back around, Lissa met her eyes. "Please, Ms. Kirova. Let Rose stay."**

**Oh, Lissa, I thought. ****_Be careful._**

"Seriously, Mom used compulsion on Kirova." Said Andre.  
"It was for a good cause and guys please stop interrupting me the chapter is about to end and I am hungry." Said Eric effectively shutting us all up.

**Using compulsion on another Moroi was dangerous—particularly in front of witnesses. But Lissa was only using a tiny bit, and we needed all the help we could get. Fortunately, no one seemed to realize what was happening.**

Thank god, I thought to myself. Looking around the room everyone looked as relieved as I felt.

**I don't even know if the compulsion made a difference, but finally, Kirova sighed.**

**"If Miss Hathaway stays, here's how it will be." She turned to me. "Your continued enrollment at St.**

**Vladimir's is strictly probationary. Step out of line ****_once,_**** and you're gone. You will attend all classes and required trainings for novices your age. You will also train with Guardian Belikov in every spare moment you have—before ****_and_**** after classes. Other than that, you are banned from all social activities, except meals, and will stay in your dorm. Fail to comply with any of this, and you will be sent…away."**

**I gave a harsh laugh. "Banned from all social activities? Are you trying to keep us apart?" I nodded toward Lissa. "Afraid we'll run away again?"**

Andre looked like he really wanted to say something but kept shut to avoid another outburst by Eric. A hungry Eric is not a pretty sight.

**"I'm taking precautions. As I'm sure you recall, you were never properly punished for destroying school property. You have a lot to make up for." Her thin lips tightened into a straight line. "You are being offered a very generous deal. I suggest you don't let your attitude endanger it."**

**I started to say it wasn't generous at all, but then I caught Dimitri's gaze. It was hard to read. He might** **have been telling me he believed in me. He might have been telling me I was an idiot to keep fighting with** **Kirova. I didn't know.**

"Probably the second." Said Cassie before she could stop herself but Eric just Ignored her and kept reading.

**Looking away from him for the second time during the meeting, I stared at the floor, conscious of Lissa** **beside me and her own encouragement burning in our bond. At long last, I exhaled and glanced back up at the headmistress.**

**"Fine. I accept."**

We all let out deep sighs of relief.

"Andre can I talk to you?" Asked Rhea as we were all going out of the room.  
"Anya, stay here." She told me. Uh-oh, had she found out about us. I was freaking out.  
"Andre, Damien is coming can you act civil." She told him  
"Ugh, only if Anya does." Said Andre. Damn it, why did he need to involve me.  
"She has promised to behave." Said Rhea giving me a look that said "You better not be up to something". I gulped and nodded. I hated Damien but would behave as long as he behaved.  
"Ok, so let's go for lunch. We should be able to finish a couple more chapters after lunch." Said Rhea before we left the room.


	4. Interlude 1

**Back To Story**

Rhea, Andre and I were the last to reach the dining hall where everyone was already sitting. We found our seats before the maids rushed in to serve us lunch. Both Rhea and I were mad at Andre so we stuck together and left him to sit between Christie and Rosalie while we sat next to Eric and Cassie. Andre just glared at us and we ignored him.

"Why are you two ignoring Andre?" Asked Uncle Adrian, he was way too perceptive. Eric, Ivan, Cassie and Connor burst out laughing while Rhea and I just ignored them all and started paying complete attention to our food. We were having spaghetti bolognaise and pesto chicken.  
"They both lost bets to him, so they are being bitchy." Said Eric.  
"ERIC DRAGOMIR-OZERA MIND YOUR LANGUAGE." Scolded Aunt Lissa.  
Eric cringed and apologized before stuffing his face with food.

"What bet, I wanna know?" Asked Uncle Adrian  
Rhea and I exchanged looks about whether to tell them or not and decided to tell just uncle Adrian.  
"We'll tell you later." Said Rhea.  
He pouted and said, "That's not fair." While Sydney rolled her eyes and groaned, "DAD."  
Meanwhile Andre was playing with Rosalie. They were so cute. He met my eyes and winked at me before diverting his attention to his baby sister.  
Ivan, Dad and Uncle Christian were busy discussing attack strategies and Mom and Aunt Lissa were discussing politics. Aunt Mia and Aunt Jill were talking animatedly about a new sale.

After Dinner uncle Adrian cornered Andre and led him to the other room, so Rhea and I decided to eavesdrop on them.  
"Don't lie to me Andre." I heard Uncle Adrian say.  
"I'm not lying uncle Adrian there is nothing between us, we're just really good friends." Defended Andre. Rhea looked at me puzzled, she was confused as to who Uncle Adrian was talking about, I hoped it was not me.  
"Andre, don't forget who taught you how to mask your aura, I know that you're  
"hiding something." Said Uncle Adrian.  
"Don't say anything else, Anya and Rhea are outside the door." Said Andre. Rhea and I shared a look as if to say _uh-oh busted. _Uncle Adrian opened the door and narrowed his eyes at us. Then he smirked and said,  
"Do you two know what Andre is hiding."  
To which Rhea immediately replied, "Not a clue, in fact Anya and I were so confused."  
"Well Andre is in love with someone who was there in the room, while having lunch, for a moment his aura glowed very bright. Now its back to normal but I can't figure out who." Said uncle Adrian.  
"Andre, In love?" Said Rhea snorting.  
"See, Uncle Adrian I told you it was nothing." Said Andre  
"Yeah and guys we should go upstairs." I told them, I really wanted to finish as much as we could today because we had 5 more books to go.  
"Rhea, Anya, Carly and Damien Zeklos are here." Screamed my mom from the other room. Andre growled softly at the mention of Damien.

At this Rhea ran to greet Damien and Carly while Andre and I headed upstairs. As soon as Rhea was out of hearing range Andre backed me up against the wall and kissed me hard. I just giggled and kissed him back.  
"What was that about?" I asked him out of curiosity.  
"Well, I just wanted to kiss my girlfriend who I love very much, so much that I usually forget to mask my aura." He said holding me close.  
"I love you too." I told him before kissing him again.  
"We should head upstairs before Rhea comes back." Said Andre.  
So we went upstairs and waited for rhea to return.  
"So who'll read next?" Asked Andre.  
Ivan picked up the book and said, "It's my turn now."  
Rhea Entered the room holding hands with Damien and Carly following them.

They all sat down and there was one less place so Rhea sat on Damien's lap making Andre and Eric both scowl. I glared at Andre telling him to behave. Thankfully Ivan started reading before there was a fight.

* * *

**AN: Hi guys for everyone reading my other stories and this one too i just want to tell you that i'm sort of grounded, My parents have taken my laptop. Today my parents were out and so I managed to steal it back, I have no idea when I'll finally get it back and I'm really sorry for not being able to upload quicker. I'll try my best to steal it again or write on my phone or something please be patient I'll upload as soon as I can.  
~xXDimka's girl 4 everXx**


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